General Discussion

If you heard that Trump's Philly-area townhall event got a little weird, you heard correctly.

I've seen a lot of Trump gatherings, but this was the first in which he just bobbed his head to music for 39 minutes.

With three weeks remaining in the election cycle, Kamala Harris is increasingly focused on Donald Trump’s steadiness — or lack thereof. In fact, at the Democratic vice president’s most recent rally, she specifically referred to the former Republican president as “unstable,” a week after The New York Times ran a front-page report noting that the GOP nominee “has seemed confused, forgetful, incoherent [and] disconnected from reality lately.”

If Trump hoped a townhall-style event just north of Philadelphia would help end such chatter, he was likely disappointed once it was over. NBC News reported:

Former President Donald Trump turned a town hall event in front of supporters in Oaks, Pennsylvania into an impromptu listening party Monday night, playing a unlikely selection of tunes for more than 30 minutes after the event was paused for medical emergencies. Trump is famed for his lengthy and unorthodox political rallies, but none have followed such an unusual format, featuring the Republican nominee swaying along and occasionally punching the air to songs....

To be sure, there was some Q&A during the event. Someone asked Trump about his plan to address grocery prices, for example, and his odd answer included references to Hannibal Lecter — who remains a fictional character that the former president frequently talks about for reasons unknown — and immigrants taking Black jobs.......

I can appreciate the awkwardness of the circumstances. As first responders tended to a couple of attendees, it’s likely that Trump didn’t just want to proceed with the townhall as if nothing had happened. But he could’ve spoken to his supporters or perhaps had some back-and-forth with South Dakoka Gov. Kristi Noem, who was moderating the gathering.

Instead, there was a lot of this:

Link to tweet

.....The Post’s report added that Trump “turned the event into almost a living-room listening session of his favorite songs from his self-curated rally playlist,” adding, “As Trump stood onstage in his oversize suit and bright red tie, swaying back and forth, it was almost as if he were taking a trip back to decades past. Trump’s decision to cut short the question-and-answer portion of the town hall and instead have the crowd stay to listen to his favorite songs was a somewhat bizarre move, given that the election was only 22 days away.”

If the former president wants questions about his mental fitness and cognitive abilities to go away, he’ll have to do better than this.

Indeed, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii wrote online the morning after the event, “That thing Trump did last night is not explainable and it is not small. It shows that he’s increasingly detached from reality. Everyone knows if Biden or Harris did that it would be media mayhem. He’s not ok, and you can’t ignore it anymore.”